Feasibility Analysis of an evidence-based positive prevention intervention for youth living with HIV/AIDS in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Implementation Science for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV among Adolescents and Young Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review

Despite many evidence-based adolescent and young adult (AYA) HIV interventions, few are implemented at scale in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A growing implementation science literature provides important context for scaling up AYA HIV interventions in this high HIV-burden region. This scoping review examined the use of implementation research in AYA HIV studies conducted in SSA. We searched five databases and included articles which focused on AYA (10-24 years old), addressed HIV prevention or treatment, were conducted exclusively in SSA countries, and included an implementation science outcome. We included 44 articles in 13 SSA countries. Most were in East (52.3%) and South Africa (27.3%), and half focused exclusively on HIV prevention components of the care continuum. Acceptability and feasibility were the most cited implementation science outcomes. Only four articles used an established implementation science framework. The findings informed our recommendations to guide the design, implementation, and dissemination of further studies and health policymaking.

Mental health and psychosocial interventions integrating sexual and reproductive rights and health, and HIV care and prevention for adolescents and young people (10-24 years) in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic scoping review

Background

Interventions targeting combined sexual and reproductive health, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) management and mental health care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are few. There is a need to address common determinants of poor mental, psychosocial and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) through multimodal and multipronged interventions for adolescents. The main objective of this study was to identify whether and how interventions targeting adolescent SRHR and HIV with a focus on pregnant and parenting adolescents in SSA include mental health components and how these components and their outcomes have been reported in the literature.

Methods

We carried out a two process scoping review approach between 01.04.2021 and 23.08.2022. In the first stage, we searched the PubMed database to identify studies focusing on adolescents and young people aged 10 to 24 from 2001 to 2021. We identified studies focusing on HIV and SRHR that had mental health and psychosocial aspects to the interventions. Our search yielded 7025 studies. Of these 38 were eligible based on our screening criteria that covered interventions, and on further scrutiny, using PracticeWise, an established coding system, we identified select problems and practices to provide a more granular assessment of how interventions developed for this context mapped on to specific problems. At this second stage process, we selected 27 studies for inclusion as actual interventional designs for further systematic scoping of their findings and we used the Joanna Briggs Quality Appraisal checklist to rate these studies. This review was registered within the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), number CRD42021234627.

Findings

Our first set of findings is that when coding problems and solutions, mental health concerns were the least common category of problems targeted in these SRHR/HIV interventions; nevertheless, psychoeducation and cognitive behavioral strategies such as improved communication, assertiveness training, and informational support were offered widely. Of the 27 interventional studies included in the final review, 17 RCTs, 7 open trials, and 3 mixed designs, represented nine countries of the 46 countries in SSA. Intervention types included peer, community, family, digital, and mixed modality interventions. Eight interventions focused on caregivers and youth. Social or community ecology associated problems (being an orphan, sexual abuse, homelessness, negative cultural norms) were the most common risk factors and were more frequent than medical issues associated with HIV exposure. Our findings highlight the relevance and centrality of social issues related to adolescent mental and physical health along with the need to strengthen multimodal interventions along the lines of problems we have identified in our review.

Interpretation

Combined interventions jointly addressing adolescent SRHR, HIV, and mental health have been relatively understudied, despite evidence that adverse social and community factors are rampant in this population.

Funding

MK was funded by Fogarty International CenterK43 TW010716-05 and lead the initiative.

"It gives you a road map of what to do to solve your problems": acceptability of a combination HIV prevention intervention among adolescent girls in Uganda

BACKGROUND

The HIV burden remains a critical public health concern and adolescent girls are at significantly higher risk compared to the general adult population. Similar to other sub-Saharan African countries, Uganda reports high HIV prevalence among adolescent girls and young women. Yet, both evidence-based HIV prevention interventions and their acceptability among adolescent girls have not been widely studied. In this study, we examined the acceptability of the Suubi4Her intervention, an evidence-based combination intervention aimed at reducing HIV risk among adolescent girls in Uganda.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 25 adolescent girls upon intervention completion to explore their experiences with the Suubi4Her intervention that was tested in a clinical trial in Uganda (2017-2023). Specifically, we explored their decision-making process for participating in the intervention, experiences with program attendance, and their feedback on specific intervention characteristics. Informed by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability, the data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The main motivation for participation was access to health-related information, including information on STIs, HIV, and pregnancy as well as information on banking, saving, and income-generating activities. Though many participants did not have any initial concerns, mistrust of programs, initial paperwork, caregiver's ability to commit time, concerns about ability to save, and HIV/STI and pregnancy testing were raised by some participants. Facilitators to session attendance included motivation to learn information, caregiver commitment, reminder calls, and incentives received for participation. The main challenges included household responsibilities and obligations, difficulty raising transport money, and weather challenges. Adolescent girls appreciated the group format and found the location and times of the sessions convenient. They also found the content relevant to their needs and noted positive changes in their families.

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed high intervention acceptability among adolescent girls. These findings have important programmatic and policy implications in Uganda, especially given the higher HIV prevalence among adolescent girls in the country.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT03307226 (Registered: 10/11/17).

"ANZANSI Program Taught Me Many Things in Life": Families' Experiences with a Combination Intervention to Prevent Adolescent Girls' Unaccompanied Migration for Labor

Approximately 160 million children work as child laborers globally, 39% of whom are female. Ghana is one of the countries with the highest rates of child labor. Child labor has serious health, mental health, and educational consequences, and those who migrate independently for child labor are even at higher risk. Yet, evidence-based efforts to prevent unaccompanied child migration are limited. In this study, we examined the acceptability of a family-level intervention, called ANZANSI (resilience in local language) combining two evidence-based interventions, a family economic empowerment intervention and a multiple family group family strengthening intervention, to reduce the risk factors associated with the independent migration of adolescent girls from the Northern region to big cities in Ghana. We conducted semi-structured interviews separately with 20 adolescent girls and their caregivers who participated in ANZANSI. Interviews were conducted in the local language and transcribed and translated verbatim. Informed by the theoretical framework of acceptability, the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results showed high intervention acceptability among both adolescent girls and their caregivers, including low burden, positive affective attitude, high perceived effectiveness, low opportunity costs, and high self-efficacy. The study findings underline the high need for such interventions in low-resource contexts in Ghana and provide the foundation for testing this intervention in a larger randomized trial.

Decade of research into the acceptability of interventions aimed at improving adolescent and youth health and social outcomes in Africa: a systematic review and evidence map

OBJECTIVE

Interventions aimed at improving adolescent health and social outcomes are more likely to be successful if the young people they target find them acceptable. However, no standard definitions or indicators exist to assess acceptability. Acceptability research with adolescents in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) is still limited and no known reviews systhesise the evidence from Africa. This paper maps and qualitatively synthesises the scope, characteristics and findings of these studies, including definitions of acceptability, methods used, the type and objectives of interventions assessed, and overall findings on adolescent acceptability.

DESIGN

We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies assessing intervention acceptability with young adults (aged 10-24) in Africa, published between January 2010 and June 2020.

DATA SOURCES

Web of Science, Medline, PsycINFO, SociIndex, CINAHL, Africa-wide, Academic Search Complete and PubMed were searched through July 2020.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES

Papers were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: if they (1) reported primary research assessing acceptability (based on the authors' definition of the study or findings) of one or more intervention(s) with adolescents and young adults 10-24; (2) assessed acceptability of intervention(s) aimed at positively influencing one or more development outcome(s), as defined by sustainable development goal (SDG) indicators; (3) reported on research conducted in Africa; (4) were in the English Language; (5) were peer-reviewed and and (6) were published between 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2020.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Abstracts were reviewed independently by the two first authors to determine relevance. Full text of potentially eligible studies were retrieved and independently examined by the same two authors; areas of disagreement or lack of clarity were resolved through discussion by the two authors and-where necessary-the assessment of a third author.

RESULTS

55 studies were considered eligible for inclusion in the review. Most studies were conducted in Southern Africa, of which 32 jointly in South Africa and Uganda. The majority of interventions assessed for acceptability could be classified as HIV or HPV vaccine interventions (10), E-health (10), HIV testing interventions (8), support group interventions (7) and contraceptive interventions (6). The objectives of most interventions were linked to SDG3, specifically to HIV and sexual and reproductive health. Acceptability was overall high among these published studies. 22 studies provided reasons for acceptability or lack thereof, some specific to particular types of interventions and others common across intervention types.

CONCLUSIONS

Our review exposes considerable scope for future acceptability research and review work. This should include extending acceptability research beyond the health (and particularly HIV) sector and to regions in Africa where this type of research is still scarce; including adolescents earlier, and potentially throughout the intervention process; further conceptualising the construct of acceptability among adolescents and beyond; and examining the relationship between acceptability and uptake.

A systematic review of adaptations of evidence-based public health interventions globally

BACKGROUND

Adaptations of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) often occur. However, little is known about the reasons for adaptation, the adaptation process, and outcomes of adapted EBIs. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review to answer the following questions: (1) What are the reasons for and common types of adaptations being made to EBIs in community settings as reported in the published literature? (2) What steps are described in making adaptations to EBIs? and (3) What outcomes are assessed in evaluations of adapted EBIs?

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of English language publications that described adaptations of public health EBIs. We searched Ovid PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycNET, and CINAHL and citations of included studies for adapted public health EBIs. We abstracted characteristics of the original and adapted populations and settings, reasons for adaptation, types of modifications, use of an adaptation framework, adaptation steps, and evaluation outcomes.

RESULTS

Forty-two distinct EBIs were found focusing on HIV/AIDS, mental health, substance abuse, and chronic illnesses. More than half (62%) reported on adaptations in the USA. Frequent reasons for adaptation included the need for cultural appropriateness (64.3%), focusing on a new target population (59.5%), and implementing in a new setting (57.1%). Common adaptations were content (100%), context (95.2%), cultural modifications (73.8%), and delivery (61.9%). Most study authors conducted a community assessment, prepared new materials, implemented the adapted intervention, evaluated or planned to evaluate the intervention, determined needed changes, trained staff members, and consulted experts/stakeholders. Most studies that reported an evaluation (k = 36) included behavioral outcomes (71.4%), acceptability (66.7%), fidelity (52.4%), and feasibility (52.4%). Fewer measured adoption (47.6%) and changes in practice (21.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings advance our understanding of the patterns and effects of modifications of EBIs that are reported in published studies and suggest areas of further research to understand and guide the adaptation process. Furthermore, findings can inform better reporting of adapted EBIs and inform capacity building efforts to assist health professionals in adapting EBIs.

HIV serostatus disclosure in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a systematic review

HIV status disclosure among people living with HIV/AIDS has been shown to have a number of both personal and public health benefits, but rates of HIV status disclosure remain low in many African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This systematic review uses the Disclosure Process Model to examine the factors involved in serostatus disclosure and nondisclosure to various persons in the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the DRC, as well as the specific outcomes of their disclosure or nondisclosure. MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Global Health, and PsycINFO were searched and research studies were included if: (i) the study discussed disclosure of HIV status; (ii) the study population included HIV-infected people in DRC; and (iii) the study was published in English. Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Factors contributing to nondisclosure were generally associated with high stigma of HIV in adults and concern for emotional wellbeing when disclosing to HIV positive minors. Factors contributing to disclosure among adults were increased social support and religion. In disclosing to HIV positive minors, increasing age and health benefits were identified as approach goals that supported disclosure. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the avoidance and approach goals involved in HIV status disclosure among populations living in the DRC. Interventions and future research directed at increasing HIV disclosure among Congolese PLWHA should move beyond individual-level to consider multilevel factors including circumstantial social behaviors.

Defining the external implementation context: an integrative systematic literature review

Background

Proper implementation of evidence-based interventions is necessary for their full impact to be realized. However, the majority of research to date has overlooked facilitators and barriers existing outside the boundaries of the implementing organization(s). Better understanding and measurement of the external implementation context would be particularly beneficial in light of complex health interventions that extend into and interact with the larger environment they are embedded within. We conducted a integrative systematic literature review to identify external context constructs likely to impact implementation of complex evidence-based interventions.

Methods

The review process was iterative due to our goal to inductively develop the identified constructs. Data collection occurred in four primary stages: (1) an initial set of key literature across disciplines was identified and used to inform (2) journal and (3) author searches that, in turn, informed the design of the final (4) database search. Additionally, (5) we conducted citation searches of relevant literature reviews identified in each stage. We carried out an inductive thematic content analysis with the goal of developing homogenous, well-defined, and mutually exclusive categories.

Results

We identified eight external context constructs: (1) professional influences, (2) political support, (3) social climate, (4) local infrastructure, (5) policy and legal climate, (6) relational climate, (7) target population, and (8) funding and economic climate.

Conclusions

This is the first study to our knowledge to use a systematic review process to identify empirically observed external context factors documented to impact implementation. Comparison with four widely-utilized implementation frameworks supports the exhaustiveness of our review process. Future work should focus on the development of more stringent operationalization and measurement of these external constructs.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-018-3046-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Interventions targeting sexual and reproductive health and rights outcomes of young people living with HIV: a comprehensive review of current interventions from sub-Saharan Africa

Background

A growing number of young people (ages 10–24) are living with HIV (YPLWH) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These YPLWH have particular needs and challenges related to their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Contextual factors including gender inequalities, violence, stigma, and discrimination and lack of tailored services undermine YPLWH's SRHR.

Objective

Understand the scope and impact of interventions targeting YPLWH to improve SRH-related outcomes in SSA.

Design

We undertook a review to synthesise evaluated interventions (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods) aimed at improving the SRH outcomes of YPLWH in SSA with outcomes based on a World Health Organization framework of comprehensive SRHR approaches for women living with HIV. Using inclusion criteria, only six interventions were identified.

Results

Interventions sought to improve a range of direct and indirect SRH outcomes, including sexual behaviour, adherence, disclosure, and mental health. Four overarching issues emerged: 1) all interventions were structured according to cognitive behavioural therapy theories of behaviour change – while showing promise they do not tackle the wider gender, social, and economic contexts that shape YPLWH's SRH; 2) ‘significant others’ were included in two of the interventions, but further work needs to consider how to leverage parental/guardian support appropriately; 3) interventions only accessed young people who were already linked to care, participants were likely to have better SRH outcomes than those potentially more vulnerable YPLWH; and 4) none of the interventions explored the sexuality of young people.

Conclusions

There have been a limited number of evaluated interventions to strengthen SRH of YPLWH in SSA, and gaps exist in addressing the SRHR needs of YPLWH. Intervention approaches require greater scope and depth, including the need to address structural and contextual challenges.

The Impact of Visual Aids and Enhanced Training on the Delivery of Positive Health, Dignity, and Prevention Messages to Adult Patients Living with HIV in Rural North Central Mozambique

Introduction

Positive health, dignity, and prevention (PHDP) interventions target people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV) to promote well-being and prevent onward transmission. Concern that increased life expectancy and improved well-being would lead to increased risky sexual behaviour and subsequent HIV transmission motivated researchers to test novel strategies to support treatment adherence, encourage safer sex, STI treatment and partner testing, prevention of mother to child transmission, and support uptake of family planning.

Methods

We assessed the number and type of PHDP messages delivered to PLHIV before and after the implementation of an educational intervention for health providers combined with the distribution of visual job aids and monthly technical assistance.

Results

From April 21, 2013 to March 20, 2014, we documented 54,731 clinical encounters at three rural health centres in Zambézia province, Mozambique from 9,248 unique patients. The percentage of patients who received all seven PHDP messages during their last three visits was 1.9% pre-intervention vs. 13.6% post- intervention (p=<0.001). Younger patients (25 years vs. 35) and those with a recent HIV diagnosis (two weeks vs. two years) had higher odds of receiving any PHDP message (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.22 and 2.79, respectively). Patients >59 days late collecting medications were not more likely to receive adherence messages than adherent patients (p=0.17).

Discussion

Targeting HIV prevention efforts to PLHIV is an effective HIV prevention approach to eliminate HIV transmission. Despite intensive training and support, PHDP message delivery remained unacceptably low in rural Mozambique. Patients at high risk for treatment abandonment were not more likely to be counselled about adherence and support measures, something that needs to be addressed.

Conclusions

We need to develop novel strategies to motivate health care providers to deliver these messages more consistently to all patients and develop a system that assists counsellors and clinicians to quickly and effectively determine which messages should be delivered.

Exploring the influence of social determinants on HIV risk behaviors and the potential application of structural interventions to prevent HIV in women

When seeking to prevent HIV/AIDS in women, attending to aspects of their lived experience provides opportunities to address the presence of social determinants in prevention strategies. According to the CDC, in 2010, the rate of new HIV infections among Black women was 20 times that of White women, while among Hispanic/Latino women it was 4 times the rate of White women. Additionally, 86% of HIV infections in women were attributed to heterosexual contact and 14% to injection drug use. The WHO indicates that worldwide, 49% of individuals infected by HIV are women, with a predominant source of infection tied to heterosexual transmission. This paper presents social determinants as influential factors in terms of women's sexual behavior decision-making, along with suggested structural interventions to address the social determinants of their HIV risks. Secondary analysis was conducted on data from an earlier study (Abdul-Quader and Collins, 2011) which used concept-mapping to examine the feasibility, evaluability, and sustainability of structural interventions for HIV prevention. The current analysis focused on structural interventions applicable to women and their HIV prevention needs. Three themes emerged: economic interventions, responses to violence against women, and integrated health service delivery strategies. The themes provide a foundation for next steps regarding research, policy planning, and intervention implementation that is inclusive of women's lived experience. The paper concludes with suggestions such as attention to innovative projects and a paradigm shift regarding policy planning as key next steps towards HIV prevention that reflects the contextual complexity of women's lived experiences.

Adaptation of a U.S. evidence-based Positive Prevention intervention for youth living with HIV/AIDS in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Effective HIV prevention programs for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) are important to reduce new infections and to ensure PLWH remain healthy. This paper describes the systematic adaptation of a U.S.-developed Evidence Based Intervention (EBI) using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Map of Adaption Process for use at a Pediatric Hospital in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The adapted intervention, Supporting Youth and Motivating Positive Action or SYMPA, a six-session risk reduction intervention targeted for youth living with HIV/AIDS (YLWH) in Kinshasa was adapted from the Healthy Living Project and guided by the Social Action Theory. This paper describes the process of implementing the first four steps of the ADAPT framework (Assess, Select, Prepare, and Pilot). Our study has shown that an EBI developed and implemented in the U.S. can be adapted successfully for a different target population in a low-resource context through an iterative process following the CDC ADAPT framework. This process included reviewing existing literature, adapting and adding components, and focusing on increasing staff capacity. This paper provides a rare, detailed description of the adaptation process and may aid organizations seeking to adapt and implement HIV prevention EBIs in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.